In February, Anderson Elementary and Morris Elementary were awarded the Banner Plus Level of Recognition from the Iowa PBIS State Leadership Team for their implementation of Positive Behavioral Interventions and Supports (PBIS) in the 2017-2018 school year. BFCSD elementaries were of the 23 statewide recipients. There was a series of criteria that each building had to meet in order to qualify for the award. During the past several years, staff members at each building have spent a great deal of time and effort in developing and implementing behavior supports for the students of BFCSD.

We'd like to congratulate the staff of Anderson Elementary and Morris Elementary for all of their hard work in helping create a safe and supportive learning environment for students.

In order to accommodate our district’s growth, several new positions have been approved for the 2019-20 school year, with one being a Dean of Students at Morris Elementary. Since the opening of Morris Elementary, one Assistant Principal position, filled by Mr. VanderLinden, has supported both Anderson and Morris. Beginning in the 2019-20 school year, our elementary schools will each have two full time administrators on staff, similar to the middle school and high school. Mr. VanderLinden elected to serve the students and staff of Anderson Elementary, alongside Mr. Hewitt.

After identifying top candidates and an extensive interview process, the district has selected Mrs. Joannie Sanger to fill the role of Dean of Students at Morris Elementary. Sanger is currently in her 7th school year with the district, serving 4 years as a first grade teacher and the past 3 years as the Building School Improvement Leader (BSIL) at Morris. Joining Mr. Anderson, the pair will lead the students and staff of Morris Elementary to kickoff the 2019-20 school year.

Sanger's outstanding record as a classroom teacher and school improvement leader at Morris distinguished her from the other candidates for the position. She is excited to continue to build relationships with Bondurant-Farrar students, parents, and staff. Please join us in congratulating Mrs. Sanger and welcoming her into this role!

Pictured: Mrs. Joannie Sanger, current BSIL, named Dean of Students for 2019-20 school year.

TAG Students Collaborate With The City Of Bondurant

Bondurant-Farrar 7th and 8th grade TAG classes recently spent time tackling issues that are faced by the City of Bondurant and its citizens.

﻿Students researched Bondurant's stakeholders, the impacts these issues have on the city, funding possibilities, and potential remedies before designing their own comprehensive solutions. Bondurant city administrators reviewed the video submissions of 40 students, selected the top 5, and asked the identified students to present their ideas to the Bondurant City Council.

On February 4, students presented the following ideas: Noah Winger- A Vision for Eagle Park: Natural Playscape, Theo Brown - Best Species of Trees to Plant in the City of Bondurant, Mason McGrann - How to Improve the City's Website, Addison Grosc - Investing in Lighting on the City Sports Fields, and Grace Lohse - Encouraging Small Businesses in Bondurant. The presentations were well received and we look forward to seeing how these bright young students' ideas impact the future of our community.

CLICK ON EACH IMAGE FOR MORE INFORMATION

Chris Norton, 2010 Graduate, Returns As A Honorary Coach

During their 2018-19 season, the boys’ basketball team and coaches invited former Bondurant-Farrar players to act as honorary coaches during their home, Friday night games. As an honorary coach, individuals had the opportunity to speak to the team in the locker room before the game, were publicly honored prior to tip off, and sat alongside other coaches to offer advice to players during the game. With the winter storms and other scheduling conflicts that occurred, the team was able to host 3 of the 5 honorary coaches they had planned for; honorary coaches included Danny Neville, Randy Pruismann, and Chris Norton.

Norton, a 2010 graduate of Bondurant-Farrar, was given little chance to ever walk again after being severely injured in a college football game. As a motivational speaker and author, Norton speaks to students and individuals across America about perseverance, defying expectations, and the power of a positive attitude. In his pre-game speech, Norton connected with current Bondurant-Farrar basketball members and encouraged them to enjoy every moment and embrace their high school athletic careers.

Cancellations & Their Impact On The 2018-19 School Calendar

At the time of publication, the district has cancelled three full school days as a result of winter weather; those days have been January 22, January 23, and January 30. The first two cancellations are built into the existing school calendar and will not be made up. The third day will be made up on Thursday, May 30. Should the need arise to cancel additional school days, those too will be added to the end of the school year. We will update you should that become necessary.

Our district enrollment continues to rise, surpassing 2,200 students this school year. To accommodate this growth, several new positions have been approved for the 2019-20 school year.

Breakdown of the new positions for 2019-20:

Dean of Students at Morris Elementary (Both Morris and Anderson will have a second administrator, no longer a shared position)

Elementary classroom teachers, up to four

Special Education, Science, and Social Studies teaching positions at BFMS

Video Production teaching support at BFHS

Technology and Behavior Intervention support as a result of the Teacher Leader and Compensation program

Positions added during the current school year:

Technology assistant to support district technology department

Special Education teacher at Morris Elementary

Resources For BFCSD Stakeholders

The BFCSD Board of Education and Administration would like to make district stakeholders aware of two new resources that will help to streamline and improve communication.

Leadership Organization Chart:

This organization chart has been created to help illustrate the district's leadership roles and overall structure.

A Guide For Addressing Concerns:

BFCSD recognizes that situations may arise where parents, community members, or employees have concerns that need to be addressed. We strongly believe that all concerns are best dealt with using open, honest communication and should be discussed by first talking to the involved employee. This guide outlines the proper chain of communication for addressing employee concerns.

Earlier this month the district notified families of a new statewide assessment called the Iowa Assessment of Student Progress (ISASP). This test replaces the Iowa Assessment as the accountability assessment for all Iowa students in grades 3-11. At Bondurant-Farrar, the ISASP will be administered the week of April 8.

In what grades/content areas are we administering the Iowa Statewide Assessment of Student Progress?

Reading: Grades 3-11

Language & Reading: Grades 3-11

Math: Grades 3-11

Science: Grades 5, 8, 10

More detailed testing schedules will be shared by your student’s school.

It is the policy of the Bondurant-Farrar Community School District not to discriminate on the basis of race, color, national origin, sex, disability, religion, creed, age (for employment), marital status (for programs), sexual orientation, gender identity and socioeconomic status (for programs) in its educational programs and its employment practices. There is a grievance procedure for processing complaints of discrimination. If you have questions or a grievance related to this policy please contact the district’s Equity Coordinator; Chad Carlson, Director of Administrative Services, 300 Garfield St SW, Bondurant, IA 50035, 515-967-7819, carlsonc@bfschools.org.; or Director of the Office for Civil Rights, U.S. Department of Education, Citigroup Center, 500 W. Madison Street, Suite 1475, Chicago, IL 60661-7204, (312) 730-1560, OCR.Chicago@ed.gov.